SSS Demon King System: The Rise of a Dying Extra-Chapter 31: Hunting Dogs. (2)

Katerina whistled, impressed by the scene she was witnessing.

The furious Freya was reducing her team very easily, too easily.

The funniest thing was that, even being a priestess, she was using fists and kicks to bring down the assassins coming at her.

But not only that; when they started using magic, she quickly opened a wooden box.

In it was a golden staff, from which several rings hung.

From the box also came hundreds of paper dolls, which floated in the air, forming invisible barriers that blocked their magic.

Katerina knew what that was about: Onmyōdō.

A type of foreign magic, performed by those who don’t have magical power.

Katerina didn’t worry much about that, since it was surely an inferior art that couldn’t even be considered magic.

However, Freya was simply too strong.

More assassins lunged at her, and she began to sing and dance, while, in unison, hitting the assassins quite naturally. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

When the mages managed to destroy all the barriers, it was too late: Freya struck the floor, having completed the ritual.

A translucent barrier surrounded them, reflecting a silvery light.

It didn’t seem too interesting; however, Katerina understood Freya’s intentions when she told her daughters to flee.

The priestess wanted her daughters to escape; however, Katerina didn’t care too much about that. After all, the forest was plagued with assassins, and they surely wouldn’t escape. Besides, who they wanted, after all, was Freya.

***

Sköll was running, as fast as her legs allowed.

Tears fell from her eyes.

Was she really that useless?

She still remembered the words her sister had told her: "Get out already, you’re a hindrance, you’ll only bother me; I won’t be able to fight while protecting you, so leave."

They were strong words, but true; that’s why they hurt.

Hati had been the smartest and strongest since always.

She even proved it in the escape: she didn’t hesitate to take a weapon from the fallen assassins, took her hand and dragged her out of danger when Sköll had been paralyzed by fear.

She was just a hindrance, she always had been.

What if that attack was her fault? What if it was divine punishment for her weakness?

Maybe she should die there, maybe if she disappeared, the attack would cease.

Suddenly, Sköll crashed into something, which pulled her from her thoughts.

Scared, she looked up to see who she had crashed into; however, she was relieved when she saw a familiar face.

"DAD?!" she asked with surprise.

"Daughter, how good to find you," the man said with a kind voice while hugging her. "You don’t have to worry, you’re safe now."

"DAD!"

Sköll couldn’t help but burst into tears at that moment, while hugging Freki with all her strength, as if she were afraid he would disappear.

She buried her face in his chest, letting herself be enveloped by his smell; it made her feel safe... though it didn’t allow her to see the twisted smile "that thing" drew on its face.

"By the way... where is your sister?" Freki asked with a calm voice.

Those words brought Sköll back to reality; that moment of peace had lasted too little.

However, her sister was in danger.

"That’s right! Quick, dad, we have to help Hati and mom. Those hooded guys are fighting against them," Sköll said, recovering her concern.

"I see," her "father" then said, with a voice that made the hairs on Sköll’s tail stand on end. "Then only you remain, right?"

Sköll’s eyes opened wide in that instant, filling with desperation upon realizing that wasn’t her father.